Participation in the EXPO

NHS South East Coast will describe it's approach to driving innovation and spread across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. In particular, this session will describe the potential that data and good quality analysis has to both evidence innovation and support adoption and spread. Samantha Riley, Head of the Quality Observatory, will use a real case study which evidences the variation in practice across a number of Trusts.  

Mark Stewart and Dr Armando Gonzales

Wound Swab Policy Group, Darent Valley Hospital

Patients with ulcers and open wounds are benefiting from a new policy which could help overcome the dangers of patients receiving inappropriate antibiotics – and subsequently suffering from resistance – and lead to massive cost savings for the NHS.

Mark Stewart and Dr Armando Gonzales were concerned that because of established traditional practices too many patients had their wounds routinely swabbed in both hospital wards and the community.

This was not only pointless, it was also a health hazard for patients as it led to unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics and a clogging up of microbiology laboratories who had to check all the samples.

They drew up a list of wounds which didn’t need to be tested and this new protocol has now been accepted as Trust policy.

The change has resulted in an end to the processing of thousands of unnecessary wound swabs, both from hospital wards and the community.

This new policy is now moving towards implementation at regional level.

The final step will be to achieve its adoption across England, meaning tens of thousands of patients will be spared from the dangers of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics.